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Sportsa Clir tJi Ki

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Entertainmentn-Rissc fKr Fil

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Special Issuet Firs Flprsid-elc f Rulic f Kr

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festivalt Sgwipgui SwiigFsivl

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Peoplea Dcr frIsrusYu J-s

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Pen & brushKi Ci-ha p fRsisc d Lif

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Travela Sg fr DcigbirdsGugg esury

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Great Koreana aci hr fUnicationGrl Ki Yu-si

contentsjanuary 2013 Vol.9 no.1

02

Cover Story

UNESCOsIntangibleCultural Heritage ofHumanity

Arirang

Koreans andArirang

Arirang Variations

Arirang as UNESCOs

Intangible Heritage ofHumanity

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The Korean folk song Arirang has been inscribed on UNESCOs Representative List of

Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Arirang is more than a folk song: for generation

singing Arirang has given Koreans comfort and brought them together as one.by Lee Jeong-eun and Im Sang-beom / proofread by Kang Deung-hak (professor at Gangneung-Wonju University)/ in cooperation with the KoreanTraditional Performing Arts Foundation, the Korea Creative Content Agency and based on A Study on the Problem of Administrative Protection of

Arirang in Relation to Its Cultural Traits by Kang Deung-hak and Arirang co-authored by Kim Yeong-un and Kim Gi-hyeon

UNESCOS INtaNgIblE

CUltUral HErItagE Of HUmaNIty

Arirang

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group of songs in which t he chorus repeats

the word Arirang or a similar sounding wor

Nobody knows the exact meaning of the wo

Arirang. Many people believe that it has no

specic meaning.

Each variation of Arirang has a xed melo

and chorus, but the rest of t he lyrics arechangeable. That is, singers can either sing th

traditional lyrics or creatively improvise. Th

Arirang is traditional, but at t he same time v

extemporary.

Arirang was originally a hyangto minyo

(rural folk song) in Gangwon-do and its

vicinity, located in the mid-eastern part of

the Korean Peninsula. People sang it while

gathering rewood or wild herbs, planting r

seedlings, weeding paddies and elds, doin

house chores, or simply killing ti me togethe

alone. Variations ofArirang included Arari,

Yeokkeum Arari, and Jajin Arari.

In the m id-19th century, professional sing

belonging to sadangpae (troupes of travellingactors) from Seoul started singing Arirang on

stage, giving rise to tongsok minyo Arirang

(Arirang as a popular folk song). Those

professional singers added their musicality

to the traditional Arirang and named the new

songs Arirang Taryeong.

Arirang Taryeong became known more

widely thanks to the reconstruction of

Gyeongbokgung Palace during the reign of

King Gojong (r. 1863-1907). In order to boost

the morale of laborers from across the nation

sadangpae singers sang Arirang for them. Wh

the reconstruction was completed, the labor

returned home and spread Arirang Taryeon

their hometowns.In 1926, director Na Woon-gyu made the

movie Arirang and used a remake of the mo

popular variation oftongsok minyo Arirang. T

movie was a major hit; the theme song becam

known by all the Koreans and gained the

koreans and Arirang

When South and North Korean athletes entered

the Olympic Stadium together during the

opening ceremony of the 27th Summer Olympic

Games in Sydney in 2000, Arirang was played

rather than the national anthem of eithercountry. For Arirang is the single most iconic

song that represents the entire Korean nation.

Korea was again full of excitement during

the 2002 Korea-Japan FIFA World Cup. People

wearing red shirts poured out onto the streets,

and every city square in the country became

a festive sea of red. One of the cheering songs

reverberating th rough the streets was Arirang,

which every Koreanyoung or oldknows by

heart.

Poet Ko Un once dened Arirang as staples

and stars to Koreans and the nameless general

of history t hat lives have accumulated. What

greater proof could there be that Arirang i s

more than a folk song for Koreans?Arirang represents Koreanswhether they

are South or North Koreans, whether they l ive

on the Korean Peninsula or in other parts of the

worldand it is the single element that unites

the Korean nation.

BIRTH OF ARIRANG

Korean folk songs (minyo) are broadly

categorized as folk songs sung by the

common people in rural areas (hyangto minyo)

and popular folk songs for professional

performances (tongsok minyo). Industrialization

and urbanization have brushed aside rural folk

songs as rural communities have gradually

disappeared. Today, the term minyo generallyrefers to popular Korean folk songs which

you can hear on the radio or TV. Far and away

the most widely known Korean folk song is

Arirang.

Arirang is in fact not a single song, but a

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nickname Bonjo Arirang (lit. Arirang of the

original melody). The boom of Bonjo Ari rang

precipitated a new and lasting trend of creating

Arirang-inspired popular songs in the 1930s

that continues today.

Opinions of the value of Arirang vary greatly.

There was a time when scholars of Korean

literature regarded Arirang merely as an old

folk song and a material for etymological

research. Perhaps Arirang is not musically

the best folk song, but historically it is ofutmost importance. Reected in the mirror of

national history, Arirang is a spitting image

of the Korean nation, which has survived

countless ups and downs over the millennia

through pain and joy and sorrow and

suering.

ARIRANG AROUND THE WORLD

Arirang is not only sung in Korea but also

in Japan, China, the United States, Russia,

Germany, and many other parts of the world,

because Koreans who left Koreawillingly or

unwillinglystill sing the song. Their Arirang

has more sorrowful stories, as most Korean

emigrants had to suer hardships in foreignlands. The lives of Koreans in Japan, which is

often dubbed a close but far neighbor, were

especially dicult. Arirang was ocially

introduced in Japan by a Japanese ocial named

Nobuo Junpei, who visited Korea in 1876. Later,

radio programs such as Arirang Collection (1936)

and music albums including Song of Arirang

(edited by Koga Masao, 1932) also featured

Arirang. Perhaps due to such exchanges, almost

every record on Korea written during the Showa

period (1926-1989) mentions Arirang. Korean

artists also played a role in spreading Ari rang

in Japan. Classical vocalist Kim Anna sang

Arirang as part of her repertoire, and dancer

Choi Seung-hees Arirang was also famous.

Sanghang Arirang is a variation createdby Korean Americans. The word sanghang

refers to San Francisco. There is a story that

Ahn Eak-tai, a renowned conductor in the

1940s, arranged Arirang and dedicated it to his

teacher, Leopold Stokowski. That version of

Arirang, entitled Arirang Hill, was created

at the request of Philadelphia-based publisher

Elkan-Vogel Co., Inc. Printed on the cover of t he

score is The rst manifestation of the Korean

music by EAKTAE AHN from Korean Life for

Voice and Piano.

Literature on Arirang can also be found in

Germany. In 1925, German folklorists published

a report on the folklore of prisoners of war of

dierent ethnic backgrounds, including twoKoreans who fought for Russia as mercenaries.

The report includes details on three variations of

Arirang that the two Korean mercenaries sang.

They are Arirang Sseurirang, Harirang,

and Arirangga. In the 1960s and 1970s, Korean

miners who went to Germany also sang Arirang

to soothe their sorrows from the hard labor and

challenges of life abroad.

Arirang united the Koreans who emigrated

to Hawaii more than a century ago, those who

went all the way to t he Yucatan Peninsula

in Mexico to Cuba, and those who scattered

throughout China, Japan, Russia, and Central

Asia, and it still gives a sense of unity to the

over seven million ethnic Koreans abroad

including the descendents of Korean emigrantswho left their homeland a century ago.

ARIRANG IN ART

Arirang embodies the Korean nations history

and everyday feelings more than anything else.

It has been an object of research for scholars

and a rich source of inspiration for arti sts.

Numerous books have come out; some collect

many variations of Arirang, and some delve

into the Arirangs of a certain region.

TV programs were made that appeal to the

collective subconscious of Koreans captured

in Arirang. The sitcom LA Arirang, set in Los

Angeles where many Korean-Americans live,

was a great hit in Korea. Reputable novelist JoJung-rae published a 12-volume novel entitled

Arirang in 1994 telling of Koreans tenacious

ght for survival and independence and the

heartbreaking stories of Korean emigrants

during Japanese occupation. The long novel

features numerous characters to depict Korean

history in t he most vivid way.

Musicians are also lovers of Ari rang. Many

albums have come out at home and abroad

in dierent versions. Some are arranged as

Western classical music or pop music. Some

albums feature Arirang played on thegayageum

(traditional Korean zither with 12 str ings)

or other musical instruments. Old albums

featuring Arirang include one released in 1931with singers Park Wol-jeong and Kim In-

suk singing a version of Arirang arranged by

Columbia Orchestra and an album that featured

pop singer Sugawara Tsuzukos rendition of

Arirang.

The poster o the movieArirangrom 1926

Arirang is sung to create a eeling o unity and energy when people are working together.

INTERVIEW

LOCAL IS GLOBALYun I-geun, Director o the Jindo National Gugak Center

Nearly every small child in Korea can sing

Arirang. At no other time do Koreans have

such a great eeling o unity than when singin

Arirang together, and this sense o unity give

them explosive energy. Koreans continue to

Arirang together when the times call or it, wh

they need to join hands to achieve a common

goal. There is no known literature on Arirang

Instead, Koreans have passed the song dow

through the ages merely by singing it, hearin

it, and engraving it in their hearts. And they w

continue to do so indefnitely into the uture.

With the inscription o Arirang on UNESCOs Representative List o Intangib

Cultural Heritage o Humanity, Korean culture is getting more attention, say

Yun I-geun, the director o the Jindo National Gugak Center. The inscription

has also boosted the morale o Koreans living across the globe.

Yun believes that the inscription will uel the spread o Korean culture global

along with Hallyu. He emphasizes that Koreans should frst know more abouthe many variations o Arirang including Jindo, Miryang, and Jeongseon Arir

and that eorts should be made to research the vast variety o Arirangs sung

North Korea and outside the Korean Peninsula and help consolidate them in

artistic works and perormances.

The most Korean is the most global, asserts Yun. Each and every membe

o the Korean nation should strive to increase the value o traditional Korean

culture.

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Arirang is an image o theKorean nation, which hassurvived countless ups and

downs over the millenniawith vitality through pain, joy,sorrow, and suering.

Arirang Variations

Generally Arirang refers to Jeongseon Arirangof Gangwon-do (mid-eastern part of the

Korean Peninsula), Bonjo Arirang of Seoul and

Gyeonggi (mid-western), Jindo Ar irang of Jeolla-

do (southwestern), and Mir yang Arirang of

Gyeongsang-do (southeastern). They are called

the four major Arirangs.

THE FOUR MAJOR ARIRANGS

BONJO ARIRANG (OR SIMpLy

ARIRANG)

Director Na Woon-gyus movie Arirang (1926)

expressed so tellingly the sentiments of the

Koreans of the day. They were groaning under

Japanese colonial occupation. The movie became

a huge hit and was screened across the nation.

Its theme song, which was later nicknamed

Bonjo Arirang, also became a sensation. It was

a remake of the then most popular variation of

tongsok minyo Arirang and became iconic for all

Koreans and eventually the representative form

of Arirang.

JEONGSEON ARIRANG

One of the representative folk songs of

Gangwon-doa mountainous region that

is in the mid-eastern region of the Korean

Peninsulais Arari Sori. A variation of Arari

Sori that was sung in Jeongseon, Gangwon-

do, spread to other regions under the t itle

Jeongseon Arirang.

There are two versions of Jeongseon Arirang:

Gin Arirang (lit. Long Arirang), which is

slow, and Yeokkeum Arirang (lit. Weaving

Arirang), which densely weaves stories into

the lyrics. The two share t he same chorus, but

the verses are dierent. Sometimes, the verse is

sung rst, followed by the chorus, but only the

verses are sung with the chorus omitted.

MIRyANG ARIRANG

There is a theory that Miryang Arirang

is a representative tongsok minyo of the

Gyeongsang-do legion originating in Miryang,

Gyeongsangnam-do. A more credible theory

is that it was derived from Arong Taryeong,

which was sung in the rst half of the 20th

century in Seoul, because it has features of both

the Seoul style of music and t he Gyeongsang-do

style of music. The mood of Miryang Arirang is

very bright and gallant.

JINDO ARIRANG

Every variation of Arirang bears thecharacteristics of the region where it is sung.

Jindo Arirang is a case in point. It is also easy

to follow and is extremely rousing. The exciting

rhythm and melody combined with the witty

lyrics can ease the greatest suering and

heartache.

ARIRANG SUNG By kOREAN CHINESE

For ethnic Koreans living in China, Arirang

carries even more meaning. Most of the ethnic

Koreans in China are descendents of Koreans

forced out of their homeland by the Japanese

in the 1930s and during the war in order to

develop Manchuria. The locations where they

lived were also strongholds for the Koreanindependence movement and warfare in the

1930s and 1940s. They were sources of medicine,

arms, food, and information. Against this

backdrop, Arirang became a kind of weapon in

the anti-colonial struggle; that is, it was sung as

a secret signal.

Ethnic Koreans in China sang Arirang in

their yearning for home and in lament at the

tragic situation of their motherland to soothe

their nostalgia and express their anti-colonialist

sentiments. Arirang remains synonymous with

fatherland, mother, and hometown inmany songs, performances, and literary works

by ethnic Koreans in China.

A memorial stone o Miryang Arirang

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COVER STORY

Arirang became known internationallythanks to Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra,who recorded Arirang with the t itle Eastern

Love Song in 1975. This prompted releases of

other recordings of Arirang in other countries

including Czechoslovakia, Japan, and Germany.

Jazz vocalist Nah Youn-sun, who is more

famous abroad, sings Arirang at every oneof her performances. She interprets di erent

variations of Arirang including Gangwon-do

Arirang, Jindo Arirang, and Jeongseon Arirang

in a jazz style. Not only Korean but also

European audiences love the song, says Nah.

More and more renowned artists are

producing albums featuring Arirang. The

Korean Traditional Performing Arts Foundation

under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and

Tourism released a series of albums ent itled

Arirang: The Name of Korean in cooperation with

artists from home and abroad.

Volume 1 ofThe Name of Korean features

artists who know Korea well, including

Yuichi Watanabe, Inger Marie Gundersen,the European Jazz Trio, and Sergei Trofanov.

Volume 2 includes Arirangs by such famous

artists as The Real Group, Yuhki Kuramoto,

Lee Ritenour, and Ithamara Koorax, alongside

Korean musicians such as Shin Hyun-sik,

Kang Eun-il, and Nah Youn-sun. The third

volume focused on harmonizing Arirang

with the traditional music of other countries

Arirang as UNESCOsIntangible Heritage OfHumanit

Arirang was recently in scribed on UNESCOs

Representative List of Intangible Cultural

Heritage of Humanity. The decision was made

at the 7th session of the Intergovernmental

Committee for the Safeguarding of the

Intangible Cultural Heritage held at UNESCO

Headquarters in Paris in December 2012.The committee recognized that Arirang is a

popular form of Korean folk song that bolsters

a collective identity and unity among Koreans.

It also stated, Arirang is constantly recreated

in various social contexts, places, and occasions,

serving as a marker of identity among its

bearers while promoting values of solidarity

and social cohesion, and an inscription of

Arirang on the Representative List could

promote greater visibility of intangible cultural

diversity and creativity, particularly because of

the great variety found w ithin a single element.

It added, A great virtue is its respect for human

creativity, freedom of expression, and empathy.

Everyone can create new lyrics, adding to thesong's regional, historical, and genre variations,

and cultural diversity.

Arirang indeed does not represent only one

region, but has transformed into many dierent

versions and variations incorporating the joys,

angers, and sorrows of Koreans wherever and

however they live. The song has comforted the

suering, and it has instilled patriotism into the

hearts of Koreans and united t hem whenever

the nation was in crisis, carrying more meaning

than the national anthem.

The inscription of Arirang on the

Representative List signies that it is now more

than a Korean folk song, but is heritage for all of

humanity. What was added to the list was not

a single regional variation such as JeongseonArirang, Jindo Arirang, or Miryang Arirang,

but Arirang as a collective reference to all

the songs of which the choruses end with the

phrase Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo.

Back in 2009, the South Korean government

applied for the inscription of Jeongseon Arirang

on the list, but the committee did not add

Arirang that year because it only considers a

certain number of candidates from any one

country each year. Later, there was an eort

to have all the Arirangs sung throughout the

Korean Peninsula added to the list, but the

South failed to elicit cooperation from the

North on this issue. So, in 2012, the South

Korean government alone led an application.With the latest inscription of Arirang, Korea

now has 15 cultural properties on the UNESCO

Representative List of Intangible Cultural

Heritage of Humanity.

FUTURE OF ARIRANG

Koreans must research and maintain Arirang as

a precious cultural property for all. The Cultural

Heritage Administration (CHA) of Korea plans

to designate Arirang as a national intangible

cultural property and build an archive on it,

which will be open to anybody. The CHA also

plans to support performances and research

on Arirang. However, to keep all the dierent

variations of Arirang sung in every cornerof the country al ive, national agencies and

scholars as well as each and every Korean need

to appreciate the value and spirit of the song i n

order to share all the dierent versions with the

rest of the world.

Arirang has beeninscribed on UNESCOsRepresentative List oIntangible Heritage oHumanity. The photo is acelebration o the inscriptionwith on Arirang perormance.

The Name o Korean vol.1 The Name o Korean vol.2 The Name o Korean vol.3

Map Of aRIRaNg

aRIRaNg IN DIffERENT REgIONS

Dancheon Arirang in

Hamgyeongnam-do

Gangwon-do Arirang,

Jeongseon Arirang,

Gangneung Arirang, an

Chuncheon Arirang in

Gangwon-do

Miryang Arirang,

Mungyeong Arirang,

Dongnae Arirang (Busa

Ulleungdo Arirang,

Yeongcheon Arirang in

Gyeongsang-do

Chungju Arirang,

Chungju Araseong,

and Boeun Arirang in

Chungcheong-do

Jocheon Arirang in Jeju

Seodo Arirang in

Pyeongan-do

Haeju Arirang in

Hwanghae-do

Bonjo Arirang,

Gin Arirang, and

Hanobaengnyeonin Seoul

Jindo Arirang in

Jeollanam-do

collaborating with Asian artists from Vietnam,

Kazakhstan, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

It is easy to become familiar with Ar irang,

says Yuhki Kuramoto, who participated in the

production of the second volume, Its melody

is simple and bright, but at the same t ime feels

sad. He added that the song will become

widely loved throughout the world.

arIraNg fOr all

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PEN & BRUSH

Burning Even Brighter in Darknesss

Kim Chi-haA Poet ofResistance and LifeIn the 1960s and 1970s, poet and

playwright Kim Chi-ha put hiseloquence to work in vehement

resistance against the militarydictatorship. Today, he is leading the

way in the lie movement. Here is abrie look at his lie and poetry.by Im Sang-beom / translations by Kim Won-jung

The 1960s and 1970s were an age oflight and dark for Korea. Koreawas a world of light for those who

were excited about the countrys rapid

industrialization and economic growth;

it was a world of darkness for those who

were oppressed and frustrated under

the ironsted military dictatorship.

Countless intellectuals plunged

themselves into arduous resistance

against the darkness, and poet Kim Chi-

ha was one of them. He was a symbol of

the resistance against the dictatorship.

His poetry was perceived as a threat tothe very foundation of the government,

and it was indeed more powerful and

scathing than any other weapon that

could be leveled against it.

WITH A BURNING THIRST

Kims poem With A Burning Thirst,

published in 1975, is a monumental

work singing of the peoples yearning

for democracy in the mid-1970s,

when the oppression of the military

government was at its height in the

wake of the so-called October Yushin

in 1972, an anti-democratic amendment

to the Korean Constitution. The rststanza of the poem poetically describes

the dire reality as the narrator could

write democracywhat then seemed

a forlorn hopeonly secretly in a back

alley at dawn. This stanza is smeared

with bloodstains.

WITH A BURNING THIRSTby Kim Chi-ha

Translated by Gwon Seon-geun

In the back alley at daybreak

I write your name, O Democracy

My mind has forgotten you for too long

And my legs far too long have strayed

from you.But with a slender remembrance of

My hearts burning thirst,

Secretly I write your name

Somewhere in the back al ley before

dawn

The rush of footsteps, urgent whistles,

and pounding,

Someones groan, wail, lament

nd their way into my heart,

Engraving themselves there.

For your names sake,

For the solitary splendor of your name,

On a wooden board with white chalk

I write awkwardly with shaking hand,

trembling heart

And raging indignation

The agony of living

The memory of green freedom revivingAnd the blood-stained faces of

returning friends

Whove been taken by the police

I write your name secretly

In tears, subduing the crying

With a burning thirst

With a burning thirst

Long live Democracy!

The rst part of the second stanz

sharply reveals the terrors and pain

of the age by invoking many d iere

sounds such as footsteps and voice

lament. There is no clear explanatio

of what is happening, but amid tho

sounds, the readers imagination

conjures up vivid images of its own

In the latter part of the second stanzthe narrator, stricken with anger an

grief, writes on a wooden board. In

third stanza, it is revealed that he h

written with soundless sobs, Long

live democracy, more powerfully

witnessing the political reality of th

day than any writer could hope to d

in prose.

Kim Chi-ha wrote a poem to commemorate theindependence activist, Lee Hee-young.

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LIFE IS A RAY OF HOPE

His poem Life marks a transition in his

philosophy and poetry. Kim states life

is a ray of hope in the poem. However

frustrating the situation, life doesnt

weaken. The scene of a woman crying

with her child in her arms is so sad,

beautiful, and noble. Only life begets

life; no living thing can live without

depending on other living things.

In life, human beings and all otherthings in this universe become one.

The realization of that unity, boundless

respect for life, and desperate eorts

to protect life cast a ray of hope that

pierces the darkness of reality.

LIFEby Kim Chi-ha

Translated by Gwon Seon-geun

Life is

A ray of hope.

My life depends on it

As I stand here at the edge of

An abyss.

I cannot go backOr forward.

This is the nal stop for me.

I can neither soar

Nor fall

A mother cries

And embraces her child.

The sorrow of life

Breeds a ray of hope.

Im talking about building a new

world where ghting is unnecessary,

as all of us ultimately return to the

fundamental world of life, says the poet.

While in prison, I studied Donghak,

an academic movement from the late

Joseon Dynasty. Its basic philosophy is

innaecheon, which means humans are

Heaven and to serve the people is to

serve Heaven. Donghak upheld equality

and humanitarianism, transcendingclass barriers. I added Jesus to it.

Kim explains that the purpose of

his poetry changed from resistance to

directing attention to the inner world

because of his revelations about life

while in prison. He combined Donghak

and Christianity to formulate his own

philosophy of life. He founded the

Yullyeo Society in 1998 to promote this

philosophy on life and humanity and a

new type of national culture.

ABOUT POET KIm CHI-HA

Kim Chi-ha entered the Seoul National

University Department of Aesthetics

in 1959 and participated in the April

19 Revolution (which overthrew the

Syngman Rhee government) in 1960.

Later, he became a student activist as

a South Korean representative in an

association of South and North Korean

students pursuing national unication.

He had to go into hiding, working atsea ports and in mines, because he was

put on the most wanted list after the

May 16 Coup dtat in 1961.

He returned to school in February

1963 and began to write combative

poems the next year. He had ve

poems published through the poetry

magazine Poets in November 1969,

taking his rst step as a resistance poet.

In 1970, he published Five Bandits in

the May issue of the literary magazine

Sasanggye. The poem satirized the

corruption and decadency of the

nations leaders through the rhythms

ofpansori (a genre of traditionalKorean music), making him an icon of

resistance overnight.

Kim was completely freed from the

shackles of dictatorship in 1984: he

was pardoned and his works were no

longer ocially labeled seditious.

By this time, he jumped into the life

movement based on his philosophy

of life. The shift was not motivated by

any change in society but by his own

realizations. During his more than

seven years in prison, Kim suered

nearly to the point of insanity, but he

saw the strong power of life in a clump

of grass that had taken root in a crackin a concrete wal l. From that moment,

his ght became about establishing

a culture of life-giving against all

cultures of killing. He believes that all

the problems of humanitypolitical

oppression, social

inequality, materialism,

and environmental

pollutionare

byproducts of building

a culture of killing. In

order to heal the culture

of killing and make

the world humane, he

asserts a culture of life-

givinga culture that isrooted in principles of life

and respect for life. He

discovered many ideas

about life in Donghak,

an academic movement

that thrived during the

closing years of the Joseon

Dynasty.

This philosophical

transition is readily

apparent in his poetry.

His poems of the 1970s

were full of the vigorous

spirit of resistance, but in the 1990s

he began writing calm, succinct,contemplative poetry that reveals his

inner world. The poetry anthology

Ilsan Sicheop is a good example.

Kim received the Lotus Prize for

Literature in 1975 from the A fro-Asian

Writers Association, when he was

still in prison. In 1981, he received the

Bruno Kreisky Award for Services to

Human Rights from the Bruno Kreisky

Foundation for Human Rights and

the Great Poet Award from Poetry

International. His publications include

the poetry anthology Kkotgwa Geuneul

(lit. Flowers and Shades) as well as essay

anthologies Saengmyeong (lit. Life),Yullyeoran Mueosinga (lit. About Yullyeo),

Yegame Chan Sup Geuneul (lit. Shades of

the Woods Full of Presentiment), and Yet

Gayaeseo Ttuiuneun Gyeoul Pyeonji (lit. A

Winter Letter from Old State of Gaya).

ABoUt tHE tRANSlAtoR

Kim WoN-jUNgKim Won-jung is a proessor o English

Language and Literature at Sungkyunkwa

University. He has translated a variety o

Korean poems and prose into English. His

translated works include eight books o po

by Kim Chi-ha, Jeong Hyeon-jong, Hwang

woo, and other Korean poets.

Kim combined Donghak and Christianity to ormulatehis own philosophy o lie.

Kim argues that society must create anew type o culture based on respect or

lie and principles o lie.

PEN & BRUSH

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PEoPlE

ANECDOTE 1

Yu worked for a construction company. One day,

he met a friend in a music store. That was the

rst time in h is entire life hed ever seen a violin

in person. It produced a sound that seemed to

be of Heaven above. He was so shocked and

overwhelmed that he was left speechless for

some time.

Afterwards, the melodies played through

his mind again and again, and he badgered hisfriend to introduce him to an expert maker of

violins. He said that he also wanted to make

one with his own hands. He was introduced to

an expert craftsman, and the next day he went

to his workshop with a block of wood. Over the

next three years, he did an apprenticeship at the

workshop every weekend until he nally made

a violin by his own hands.

ANECDOTE 2

Violinist Kyung-wha Chung was on a

nationwide concert tour of Korea when she

found something wrong with her violin. She

asked around for a professional repairer of

musical instruments and heard about Yu.Chungs presence was so imposing, and her

extremely detailed demands aroused anxiet y.

After closely watching him restore her other

self, she relaxed and ashed a bright smile.

She politely expressed her gratitude with the

kind of respect and dignity that only a virtuoso

accords another virtuoso. From that moment,

Yu was considered a doctor who restores the

instruments of violinist Kyung-wha Chung and

cellist Myung-wha Chung.

PASSION OVERCOmES LImITS

When exquisite, nearly priceless instruments

pass through Yus hands, they become even

more exquisite. Already full of violins, cellos,

and other stringed instruments commissionedfor repairs, he nds few moments of rest

because of frequent phone calls and visits from

musicians.

Yu did not study music in college. Some years

after being struck with fascination for the violin,

he went to Germany in 1990, al ready 34 years

of age. Rather than taking a regular course

on instrument repair, he went to a renowned

luthier (a craftsman of stringed instruments)

and studied under him until returning home in

1993. Yet, he hadnt originally planned to trai n

abroad.

I was condent I could be a good luthier,

recalls Yu, but, one day a client who had an

expensive violin asked about my education.Upon hearing my answer, he took back h is

violin and left. I couldnt sleep that night. The

next day I made up my mind to go to Germany.

My son was four years old, and I c ouldnt speak

a word in German. Before becoming a luthier,

I worked for a good company, and the people

A Doctor for Instruents

Yu Je-seMusicians instruments are their alter egos. When such virtuosos as violinist Kyung-wha Chung and cellist Myung-wha Chung are ill, they must go to the doctor, but when

their instruments are out o order, they go to Meister Yu Je-se.by Yang In-sil / photographs by Moon Duk-gwan

PEoPlE

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PEoPlE

colleagues daughter, and she went abroad with

the violin to study music. He later took charge of

the stringed instruments for the Daegwallyeong

International Music Festival, which is the most

prestigious classical music festival in Korea.

FATHER TO SON

There had only been a few people who

professionally made and repaired stringed

instruments in Korea. Clients were as rare,

and they generally used cheap materials. Yudecided to use only the best quality materials.

(To this day, he travels the world to nd better

materials.) Clients were at rst half in disbelief,

but he soon made a name for himself. Musicians

who had their instruments repaired abroad

started to knock on his door instead.

Yu doesnt work every single day. Conditions

need to be just right. Instruments are very

sensitive to humidity and t emperature, so he

constantly monitors the weather. If he is ill at

ease, he does not take up his knife, because he

believes that his mood and mind permeate into

the instrument. Every instrument commissioned

leaves a meticulous record as he writes down

all the details from the moment it enters hisworkshop until he gives it back t o its owner. His

work requires a high degree of c oncentration

and artistry, and every instrument feels like

around me did their best out of the goodness

of their hearts to discourage me from quitting

my job. They only had the b est of intentions for

me and genuinely thought that learning how to

make ddles (their word for it) was ridiculous.

This time, too, people tried the same thing, but

nothing could c hange my resolve.

Studying abroad was never even remotely

a fairy ta le experience. Yu could not say

that everything went well even if he faced

a challenge with the greatest passion and

persistence. Communication was always

dicult, his family was far away in Korea,

and learning was a slow process. He smoked

and drank quite a lot. His diary was soaked

in tears. He packed up a nd unpacked several

times. One day, he felt himself becoming a

nervous wreck, bit his nger, and wrote a

pledge to himself in blood. It was t he genuine

start of a true ght against himself. Then, he

realized that the client who had hurt his pride,

his own child. Yu became the great luthier he

is today, even in the face of so many obstacles,

in large part because of his diligent hands,

sensitive ears, and unwavering tenac ity.

His son studied business management in

college, but his heart moved toward musical

instruments as he watched his father give new

life to old instru ments. Yus son is now in Italy

studying and training hard to follow in his

fathers footsteps. Yu looks forward to working

together with his son some day.The reason why instruments Guadagnini

made more than three centuries ago and

Stradivariuses made more than 250 years ago

are still highly appreciated, explains Yu, is

because they have been maintained by good

hands. The older an instrument, the deeper

its sound; the more experienced a luthier, the

more exquisite his hands. I wont put down

instruments from my hands until I die. I hope

someday I will make a truly superb instrument

with my name and see a performer play it.

Yu Je-se has another dream. He wants to buy

a plot of land in Hoengseong, Gangwon-do and

build a small concert hall where he will display

instruments he has made or collected, allowingchildren to study music a nd music lovers to

gather together, play instruments, and share

good times.

1 Violins await repairs by the luthier.2 Yu repairs old violins through intricate and delicate work and transorm them into instruments o Heaven.

1

2

causing him to go to Germany to study, was his

other teacher in life.

After one year in Germany, Yu could hear

and speak German fairly well. His handling

of instruments had i mproved remarkably. His

teacher recognized his great progress and

started to pay him a salary. He even entrusted

Yu with the key t o the workshop. When Yu was

about to return home, his teacher gave him a

wooden worktable made in 1859 as a gift. To

this day, Yu cuts and trims materials and tunes

strings on this very worktable.

Koreans commonly make a huge issue out

of educational background, which prevented

him from gaining due recognition. During his

struggles, one of his former colleagues extended

a helping hand. When one colleague let him use

his house a s a workshop, Yus eyes brimmed

with tears. He named t he workshop Yu Je-

se String Music Workshop. The rst violin he

made in the workshop was dedicated to his

gREAt KoREAN

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gREAt KoREAN

An Ancient Hero of Unication

General Kim Yu-sinOver 1,000 years ago, the three kingdoms o Silla, Gogur yeo, and Baekje were in acontinual state o war, each trying to expand its territory on the Korean Peninsula

and beyond. General Kim Yu-sin o Silla f nally brought lasting peace by conqueringGoguryeo and Baekje with his outstanding strategy and military prowess. Lets trace

the ootsteps o this great general o Silla. by Im Sang-beom / photographs with courtesy of Tongiljeon

where he achieved a remarkable feat. Whenthe two sides rst clashed, the Silla troops lost

their ghting spirit, but Yu-sin charged into the

enemy camp and came back with the head of

the Goguryeo commander, winning the battle

for Silla.

By that time, Yu-sin had met Kim Chun-chu,

who was perhaps the most important person in

his life. Chun-chu later ascended the throne as

the 29th king of Silla and founded Unied Silla.

The two became very close political partners

as well as relatives through two marriages

between their families.

Their mutual trust and friendship were

very strong. When Chun-chu lost his daughter

and her husband in a battle against Baekje, hewent to Goguryeo to ask for military support.

Goguryeo detained him rather than sending

troops to help Silla. Yu-sin organized a special

unit to rescue him. At this news, Goguryeo set

Chun-chu free in order to prevent the outbreak

of a major war with Silla.

The founding of Unied Silla was virtually

sealed when Chun-chu, known for his

extraordinary diplomatic nesse, and Yu-sin, a

gallant and sagacious warrior, joined hands.

POSTHUmOUSLY ENTHRONED

Yu-sin won victory after victory in a long seriesof battles against Baekje, Goguryeo, and the

Tang Dynasty in China. When his men were

exhausted, he took o his upper garment,

mounted his horse, and led from the vanguard.

In one of his more in novative actions, he

harnessed drums and drumsticks to a herd of

cows to be released in t he event of a surprise

attack to throw the enemy into confusion by the

sound.

Yu-sin was devoted to the royal family and

adamantly upheld the reputation of his family.

When his son returned alive from a defeat at the

hands of Tang forces, he requested the king to

have his son beheaded. His son had to live alone

in hiding for the rest of his life. In a sense, hewas a pitiable hero who had to seek recognition

because he was not from Silla but Gaya.

However, his unwavering determination and

feats as a military leader were so extraordinary

that nearly all Koreans readily recall Kim Yu-sin

when they think about Unied Silla.

Kim Yu-sin (595-673) was a military leaderand politician of Silla who achieved greatfeats in conquering Baekje and Goguryeo

the two other major k ingdoms of Koreas Three

Kingdoms period (57-668)and unifying the

Korean nation under the banner of Unied

Silla. He was not a member of the royal

family of Silla, but he was so admired that

he was posthumously granted the honorary

title of King Heungmu the Great. Yu-sin

was a grandson of the last king of the Gayaconfederacy, but became an aristocrat of Silla

when his grandfather yielded to them.

Not much is known about Yu-sins childhood

before his teenage years except an episode in

Samguksagi (History of the Three Kingdoms of Silla,

Goguryeo, and Baekje, 1145): Yu-sin had reportedly

been in his mothers womb for 20 months. As

a teenager, he joined the Hwarang (lit. Flower

Boys), an elite group of specially educated

and trained boys. He was such an excellent

swordsman that he became t he Hwarang leader.

He travelled across the kingdom with his

followers to train both his mind and body.

A GALLANT WARRIOREven at the height of the ongoing conicts

among Silla, Goguryeo, and Baekje, Yu-sin

hesitated to venture out onto the battleeld

because he was of Gaya descent, not Silla. It was

only when he was 35 years old that he followed

his father into battle against Goguryeo forces,

1 General Kim Yu-sin pathe way or Silla to uniyThree Kingdoms.2, 3 The tomb o GenerKim and the statueso the Twelve ZodiacAnimals at Gyeongju,Gyeongsangbuk-do

3

2

1

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SEoUl

aWalKThrouGh

seoulPlaza

SeoulPlazabor

e

witnesstonearl

yall

oftheupheaval

salong

Koreasturbulent

roadtoliberationand

modernizationd

uring

thelastcentury

.Today,

itisthecitysfav

orite

locationforcult

ural

eventsandaqu

iet

placetoread.A

tour

ofthecitywould

not

becompletewith

out

awalkthrough

Seoul

Plaza.byChung

Da-young/

photographsbyL

eeJae-hui

SEoUl

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If you are walking around downtown Seoul,you will almost certainly pass throughSeoul Plaza. Located in the heart of the city,

the Seoul Plaza is at the crossroads to all

areas of old Seoul Sejong-daero road will

lead to Gyeongbokgung Palace, to the north is

Cheonggyecheon Stream, and Myeong-dong

and Namdaemun are a short walk away. The

Plaza has witnessed many history-changing

events in Korea for more than a hundred years.

AT THE HEART OF SEOULS

mODERNIZATION

Seoul Plaza rst took shape in 1897 when King

Gojong returned to Deoksugung Palace after

the 1895 assassination of Queen Min. A wide

road was laid between Gyeongbokgung Palace

and the main gate of Deoksugung Palace and

a modern plaza was constructed in front of

Deoksugung Palace. The plaza was situated in

a central location near the Central Government

Complex in Gwanghwamun, the Parliament

Building (now used as the Seoul Metropolitan

Council), and the Seoul Museum of Art building

in Jeong-dong, which was once the Supreme

Court of Korea. It soon became the center stage

for the nations liberation movement fromJapanese occupation including, most notably,

the March 1st Independence Movement in 1919.

The square was later an important location for

the pro-democracy movement in the 1960s and

rallies throughout Koreas modern history.

iNFoRmAtioN

How to get there C

Hall Subway Statio

Line 1 or 2, Exit 5

Skating Rink

Open: Dec 14, 2012

Feb 3, 2013 / 10 AM

10 PM

Skate Rental Fee:

KRW 1,000 per pai

ice skates, 30perse

discount or group

reservation o 20

persons or more.

Website: www.

seoulskate.or.kr/en

php

Seoul MetropolitaLibrary

Open: 9 AM to 9 PM

(weekdays), 9 AM t

PM (weekends)

Website: lib.seoul.

go.kr/www/html/en/

main.jsp

Seoul Plaza came under the global spotlight

during the 2002 FIFA World Cup when 80,000

people dressed in red shirts gathered there to

cheer on the Korean national team. The mass

of supporters clad in red, known as the Red

Devils, cheered in a highly organized cadence

of shouting and clapping in front of jumbo

screens.

After the World Cup, the Seoul Metropolitan

Government rebuilt the square to provide a

better city environment and a green area forSeoulites. In 2004, the trac lanes that cut

across the square and the wide road that ran

directly past t he old City Hall were removed

to make way for a vast g reen. The Floor Water

Fountain was built at the west corner of the

plaza. The fountain, a circle of water holes

bored into in the sidewalk with 48 oor lights, is

an attractive feature of the plaza in the warmer

months.

Seoul Government hosts many cultural

events throughout the year on Seoul Plaza

including the popular Hi! Seoul Festival and

various performances. This past October, the

Korean pop star PSY held a free concert at the

plaza as promised earlier to thank his fansfor kick-starting the success of his viral hit

song Gangnam Style. The singer had earlier

vowed to perform topless if his song topped

the U.S. chart, and he kept his promise despite

remaining at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100

for a second week. The concert reached its

peak when the singer sang his hit song and

more than 100,000 fans did the famous horse

dance with the singer. According to the Seoul

Metropolitan Police, this was the largest crowd

in Seoul Plaza since the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

The city government supported the event by

providing the square grounds and diverting

trac within a th ree-block radius.

Towards the winter festive season, the plazatransforms into a public ice skating rink for

Seoulites and foreign visitors alike. The grass

is temporarily removed from the square and

an ice skating rink is built over the grounds.

Ice skates can be rented at a reasonable rate of

KRW 1,000 (USD 0.93) for one hour, and lockers

1 Desks are availableall around the library orstudying and reading.2 The library is spaciousand ull o light or theconvenience o visitors.3 The fve-meter highbookcase is a populareature o the library.

Ice skating in the middledowntown Seoul is surebe an unorgettable meor many oreign visitors

and helmets for young

children are available

free of charge. The

skating rink was rst

installed in 2004, and

it has since become

a popular dating site

for young couples

and a special treat for

children with their

parents.

NEW LIBRARY,

NEW CITY HALL

New attractions of

Seoul Plaza are the

old City Hall, which

reopened as the Seoul

Metropolitan Library,

and the new City

Hall building right behind it. The old City Hall

was built in 1926, during the Japanese Colonial

Period.

After liberation in 1945, it served as a local

government building, and for more than 60

years it served as the government buildingfor the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The

government city decided to build a new city hall

to house the expanding government oces and

sta, and remodel the old City Hall as a public

library.

After four years of construction, the

government moved into the new building in

September of last year, and Seoul Metropolitan

Library opened its doors to the public. The

library restored the main marble staircase and

halls of the old City Hall, symbolizing the

historical heritage of Seoul.

The library has a collection of over 200,000

volumes and 20 computers to view 4,200 DVDs

and audio books. Visitors are free to walk intothe library to read books, catch up with current

aairs, or just take a break from walking. The

third oor displays the most iconic features of

the library where visitors can see the restored

and remodeled old Mayors Oce, reception

room, and meeting room.

1

4

2

3

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A Stage for Dancing Birds

Gemgang EstaryGeumgang Estuary in Gunsan is an excellent spot to observebaikal teals. They appear to dance in groups when they take to the

sky. The city o Gunsan ourished during the Japanese colonialperiod, and vestiges o that t ime remain here and there.

by Lee Jeong-eun / photographs by Moon Duk-gwan

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temple, and residences from the period remain.

Especially famous are Dongguksa Temple, a

two-story wooden house built by a Japanese

named Hirose dubbed Hiroses House, and

the railway village in Gyeongam-dong.

If you visit Gunsan with children, dont miss

the Jinpo Maritime Theme Park in the inner

harbor. The park was built in commemorationof Jinpodaecheop (Great Battle of Jinpo),

a major Korean triumph against Japanese

inltrators in the Geumgang Estuary in

August 1380, the sixth year of the reign of King

U of the Goryeo Dynasty. General Choe Mu-

seon, who was also a scientist and inventor,

led Korean forces to victory using cannons of

his own invention charged with a powerful

form of gunpowder. On display in the park are

retired military vehicles used by the Korean

Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Dongguksa is a typical Japanese temple

surrounded by a lush bamboo forest. All

the parts of the temple including the main

buildings, toilet s, and bath are connected by acorridor, revealing some of the salient features

of Japanese architecture.

The reed eld in the village of Sinseong is

not part of Gunsan but of Seocheon. Still, it is

near the bird observatories and is one of the

four most important reed elds in Korea. Seen

3,4 Vestiges o the Japcolonial period remain aover the city.5 The Japanese choseGunsan or shipping ouplunder o rice and resorom Korea, building a pand railways.

1 Numerous migratory birdsrom Siberia return to theGeumgang Estuary everywinter.2 Gunsan was the astestgrowing city in Korea in theearly 20th century.

from the 1.2-kilometer embankment, the elds

spread unbroken all the way to the Geumgang

River and the hills of Gunsan far o in the

distance.

When you get your rst hunger pangs

during your visit, you may want to try a bun

stued with adzuki bean paste at Yiseongdang,

Koreas oldest Western-style bakery, whichwas founded in 1909 and run by Japanese

owners before liberation in 1945. Every day, the

bakery sells about 1,000 rice buns stued wit h

adzuki bean paste. It also oers vegetable buns

and croquettes stued with curry and glass

noodles.

When the sun sinks below the horizonbehind Geumgang Est uary and the skyglows in shades of wine, a long island in the

river comes alive. Did you read that correctly?

What seemed to be a mere island a moment

before is a colony of migrant birds. These birds

hunt together and soar high into the sky every

day around sunrise and sunset. When theleader takes o, hundreds of thousands follow,

blocking out the sky w ith their numbers and

making for a spectacular, surreal scene of

continuously shifting shapes. People think

of their impromptu movements romantically

as group dancing, but in fact the birds are

jockeying with one anot her to be as close to the

what to eat

Jjamppong at Bokseongnu

Dozens o people can regularly be seen lined

up in ront o Bokseongnu eagerly waiting or a

bowl o Gunsan-stylejjamppong, a big bowl o

noodles flled to the brim with soup containing

lots o seaood such as

cockles and clams and

topped with sotly pan-ried pork as a garnish.

how to get there

CarIt takes about two hours rom Seoul to SeocheonInterchange via Seohaean Expressway.

TrainIt takes around three hours rom Yongsan Station toJanghang Station.

BusIt takes roughly one hour rom Seoul to Janghang.

travel information

Seoul

Gunsan

center of the ock as possible, where it is safer.

The Korean Peninsula greets numerous

migratory birds from Siberia every winter.

Geumgang Estuary is an especially important

destination for those winged visitors with its

shallow waters, gentle currents, and vast farms

nearby that aord excellent spots for resting

and hunting. Some 90 percent of the worldsbaikal teals come to th is very estuary every

year to spend the winter.

The teals rest all day long in the river,

and when the sun sets, they y over Mt.

Manghaesan to the Gimje Plains in search of

food, coming back at dawn.

They can be seen from a number of bird

observatories, the best of which is Napo

Sipjatteul Bird Observatory.

A CITY OF HISTORY

Visitors to Gunsan are strongly recommended

to see the Geumgang River. Gunsan was the

fastest growing city in Korea in the early

20th

century, serving as the port of choice forthe Japanese for shipping out their plunder

of Koreas bounty, be that rice, minerals, or

other resources. The Japanese built a port and

railways, and Japanese culture rmly took root

across the entire city where about half the 16,000

residents were Japanese. The customs house,

1 3 4 5

2

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The so-called polar bear swimmers take aplunge into the cold waters in Vancouverand New York City on New Years Day. At

Haeundae Beach in Busan and Jungmun

Saekdal Beach on Jejudo Island, the penguinswimmers venture into the sea to ring in the

New Year with hope in their hearts. This year

marks the 14th Seogwipo Penguin Swimming

Festival. Extreme swimming enthusiasts will

bring excitement to Jungmun Saekdal Beach

by fearlessly plunging into the winter waters

JEJuDO AS uNESCO

WORLD HERITAGE

Being Koreas largest

island, Jejudo is a

fascinating tourist

destination. It is o

the southern coast of

the Korean Peninsula.

Marado, the nations

southernmost island, is

only eight kilometers

o Jejudo. Jejudo is

home to Mt. Hallasan, which rises from the

center of the island and is inscribed on the

UNESCO World Heritage List, along with

the lava tubes that run all over the island.

These and other unique features make Jejudo

breathtakingly beautiful wherever you go.

Still, Jungmun, where the Penguin Swimming

Festival takes place, is denitely one of Jejus

best tourist destinations, famous for the Yeomiji

Botanical Garden, the tiered Cheonjeyeon

Waterfalls, and the Jungmun-Daepo Columnar

Joints. The area has excellent accommodations

and leisure facilities including hotels,

condominiums, golf courses, windsurng areas,

and shopping centers. This i s, needless to say,

an extremely popular area for tourists.

Swim Yor Dream in JejdoThe SeogwipoPengin Swimming FestivalCourageous people gather together on Jejudo to swim in the cold winterwaters to make a wish or the New Year. This is the 14 th Seogwipo Penguin

Swimming Festival. by Lee Jeong-eun

contest, search for gifts of fortune buried in

the sand, and enjoy a celebratory performance

by a brass band. These other events will start at

9:30 a.m. and the swimming contest begins at

11:00 a.m.

The penguin swimmers will warm up

by doing aerobics with professional aerobics

practitioners, and then jump into the water at

the sound of a Korean traditional gong called

jing.

How many will turn out on the beach

to swim this winter? Every year, beautiful

Jungmun Saekdal Beach has seen 500 to 800

people take the penguin plunge, with more

than 2,000 visitors enjoying the ot her events.

The penguin swimmers are of all ages. Children

usually have fun paddling their feet in the

water, and some group participants give shouts

of joy and excitement or play a mock cavalry

battle in the water to show o their health and

youth. Yet, the water is so cold that even the

heartiest of them have to get out after about half

an hour.

This extraordinary winter event attracts

locals and foreign visitors alike. Catherine Rusk,

a Canadian English teacher at a middle schoolon Jejudo, mustered up the courage to become a

penguin swimmer in January 2012. She recalls

that it was indeed cold, but she had so much fun

that the coldn was bearable enough.

One of the most delightful moments for

penguin swimmers may be when t hey pick

up a ball of fortune while swi mming. The

organizers of the festival scatter balls of fortune

in the sea beforehand, and getting your hand

on one of the balls means that you can stay at

a hotel in the Jungmun tourist district, have a

meal at the ICC Jeju (International Convention

Center), or play golf at the Jungmun Golf Club

free of charge.

The nale of the festival is eating traditionalspecialties of Jejudomomguk (a thick pork and

seaweed soup), dombe gogi (broiled sliced pork),

and other wonderful dishes, all prepared by

villagers nearby. This warms the bodies and

hearts of the penguins after their jaunt in the

winter sea.

on January 5, 2013. The theme of the festival

this year is A Power Start for 2013, which

encourages putting the last year behind and

planning for a brighter new year.

The festival features lots of exciting thingsto see and do in addition to the swimming

competition. Participants will send up balloons

with their w ishes for the New Year, ring

the Bell of Promise, bury a ti me capsule

containing t heir New Years resolutions,

compete in the Penguin Wrestling King

1

2

1 The Seogwipo PenguSwimming Festival is heput the last year behindplan or a brighter new y2 Around 2,000 to 3,000people visit the estival year.

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a reversal in 2007 and domestic movies soon

represented less than half of the market.

Korean lms were performing poorly and

racking up substantial losses in 2008, posting

the worst-ever average return to investment

of 43.5 percent.

In light of th is setback, the recent comeback

of Korean movies is especially gratifying.

When cumulative annual ticket sales topped

100 million in 2012, many industry experts

declared a renaissance of Korean ci nema.

A STRONG SYSTEM AND GOOD STORIES

The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) attributes

the milestone of 100 million tickets sold to the

eective production systems of major Korean

movie studios. They set specic audience

targets for individual lms and allocate funds

accordingly. The movies All About My Wife and

An Introduction to Architecture are cases in point.

Another factor was Pieta winning the Golden

Lion at the Venice Film Festival. This put

Korean movies in headlines all over the world

and piqued the interest of the Korean public.

Controversy over the oligopolistic structure of

the Korean lm industry continued to seethe,

but positive publicity about Korean movies

drew the public to the theaters in droves. The

dense lineup of movies debuting all t hroughout

the year was another important factor. There

was no slow season in 2012.

Experts believe that the current boom in

Korean movies is also very much due to their

diversity in genres. At one ti me, lm noir

dominated the screen to the near complete

exclusion of all else, but

numerous dierent genres are

well represented today.

The audience is more

diverse than before. According

to KOFIC, each Korean watched 3.12 lms in

theaters on average in 2012, ranking Korea

fourth in the world after the United States,

France, and Australia. KOFIC explains that t he

diversity is in response to the screening of l ms

of dierent genres dealing with a wider range

of subjects targeting specic segments of the

movie-going public. Films that dealt with social

issues such as Unbowedbrought back moviegoers

in their 30s and 40s. The blockbuster The Thievesstarred actors and actresses of dierent ages,

attracting a huge bloc of moviegoers ranging in

age from their teens to 40s.

Now that the neo-renaissance of Korean

cinema is upon us, countless movie bus at

home and abroad are taking greater interest

and eagerly anticipating what will come out of

Korea next.

Back to the Movies

Neo-Renaissance ofKorean FilmIn Korea, more than 100 million people o all ages went to t he

theater to see domestic movies in 2012. This is an astoundingfgure, and it naturally raises the question: what brought

people back to the movies? The answer is well-plannedproduction o flms spanning var ious genres with compelling

stories. by Yang In-sil

For the rst ti me ever, Korean lms exceeded100 million in annual t icket sales in 2012.The average Korean person saw more than three

Korean movies in theaters. Two Korean lms

even passed the threshold of ten million tickets

sold: The Thieves and Gwanghae: The Man Who

Became King. Another nine l ms each sold more

than four million tickets.

The number of Korean lms produced each

year has remained remarkably steady for some

time. Of the 441 lms screened in Korea in the

year to December 14, 2012, 146 were Korean,

compared with 150 in 2011 and 140 in 2010.

However, annual t icket sales are up sharply

from 70 million only a few years ago, reecting

audiences rising interest in Korean movies.

In other countries, the market share of domestic

movies is somewhat lower: 35 percent in

Germany and France and 49 percent in Japan

in 2011.

The Korean movie industry g rew rapidly

in the early 2000s. It hit an intermediate peak

in 2006 when almost 98 million t ickets were

sold and the market share of domestic movies

reached 63.8 percent. The industry experienced

Director Kang Dae-jins The Coachmanwas the frst

Korean movie to ever win a major international award.

The flm won the Silver Bear Extraordinary Jury Prize

at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1961. In the

2000s, an especially transormational period or Korean

cinema, international flm estivals started taking much

more notice o Korean directors. In 2002, director Im

Kwon-taek won the Best Director Award at the Cannes

Film Festival or Chihwaseon, while director Lee Chang-

dongs Oasiswon our awards including the Best

Director Award at the Berlin Film Festival. In 2004,

director Kim Ki-duk received the Best Director Award at

the Berlin Film Festival or Samaritan Girland also at the

Venice Film Festival or 3-Iron. In the same year, director

Park Chan-wooks Old Boyclinched the Grand Prix at

Cannes. In 2007, Jeon Do-yeon became the frst Korean

actress to receive the Best Actress Award at Cannes

or her perormance in Secret Sunshine, directed by

Lee Chang-dong. Park Chan-wooks Thirstwon the

Jury Prize at Cannes in 2009, and Lee Chang-dongs

Poetryreceived the Best Screenplay Award at the same

flm estival in 2010. In 2012, the jury o the Venice

International Film Festival honored Kim Ki-duk with the

Golden Lion or Best Film or Pieta, making him the frst

Korean director to win major awards at the three most

important international estivals.

korean filmS awarded at major film feStivalS

1Gwanghae: The ManWho Became Kingpasthe threshold o ten milltickets sold.2The Thievesattractedwide range o viewers wcast o dierent ages.3A Werewolf Boywas unexpected success duthe o-season o the flmindustry.4Unbowedwas the monoteworthy low-budgetindependent flm o 2015Nameless Gangsterinoir blockbuster that attover 4 million viewers.

1

3

2

4

5

SPORTS

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Jain Kim clinched gold in womens leadclimbing at the IFSC Cl imbing World Cup inChina in 2007 and has since remained No. 1 in

the world. She is not bulky, but short, nimble,

and pretty, standing a mere 153 centimeters

and weighing 43 kilograms. When her tiny

body climbs spectators hold their breath, nearly

awestruck.

Her parents met at an alpine club, naturally

hiked the mountains frequently as a small

child. Jain was in sixth grade in elementary

school when she rst started cli mbing. Her

major discipline is lead climbing in which

competitors climb a 15-meter route and attempt

to reach a higher position. Unlike bouldering,

where a climber can attempt a route more than

once within ve minutes, only one at tempt

is allowed in lead climbing, which Jain feels

suits her personality. Of course, she also enjoys

bouldering, in which she can try climbing in

dierent ways.

SMALL BUT STRONG

In any discipline of sport climbing, Jain

demonstrates remarkable exibility and

endurance. In order to overcome the

disadvantage of her small size, Jain has spurred

herself with the most stubborn doggedness. She

has to attempt more jumps than

taller climbers in order to reach

distant holds, which requires

extreme exibility and dexterity.

She likes to high-step, swinging

her foot up higher than her

shoulder, because it aords her an

advantage with her tiny body and

exceptional exibility. Her bantam

size is also an advantage in tight

spaces.

She became a sport climbing

athlete about 12 years ago. The

2009 World Championship in

Qinghai, China is her most

memorable competition. She won

silver after achieving her long-

harbored dream of completing the

nal-round route. She burst into

A Climber at the Top

Jain KimJain Kim is ranked No. 1 in the world in proessional lead climbing with a score o 545.91

points according to the International Federation o Sport Climbing (IFSC). Her toes arecontorted; her hands are coarse, but her tiny body moves with incredible strength and

nimbleness to the awe o spectators. by Im Sang-beom / photographs with courtesy of AT Sports

tears, overwhelmed with joy.

When she climbs, she feels happy as if in

another worldconcentrating with her hand in

control of a hold, facing the unique challenges

of the route at every moment, and feeling as

one with the rock. The joy of being immersed

and the thri ll of completing a route draw her

toward climbing like a powerful magnet. Only

when climbing does she have a serenity of

beingness that few others ever experience. This

explains her utter determination to not let go of

the experience and to keep climbing as long as

she can. Towards that end, Jain forces herself to

adhere to a strict diet of on ly one meal and two

pieces of fruit a day.

Now that she is in her mid-20s, Jain believes

that she must focus more on keeping herself

in good shape and avoiding injury rather than

honing her skills further. She hopes to remain

in competition as long as her stamina allows

it. She wants to compete in the 2020 Olympic

Games should sport climbing become an

ocial Olympic sport by then. She will be 32 in

2020, and we also want to see this diminutive

dynamo continue to climb for years to come.

Indeed it is not for nothing that she is popularly

known as the empress of climbing, spider girl,

and the Kim Yu-na of climbing.

1 Kim eels the happine

lie when she climbs.2 Kim hopes to remain competition as long as stamina allows.

1

SPecial iSSue

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In 2007, she lost to President Lee Myung-bak

in the contest to win the partys presidential

nomination, but she made a strong comebac

in the 2012 general election. Before the electi

the party faced another serious crisis, but Pa

led the party to win a majority of 152 seats in

the National Assembly as head of the party

emergency response commission.

After her victory in the presidential electi

was conrmed, she delivered an address in

Gwanghwamun Square in which she said

she would usher in an era of happiness for a

Koreans so that they can achieve their dream

and she would keep the th ree promises she

made during the election. The three promise

are that she would always take care of the w

being of the public, always act on her words

and help heal the divisions in Korean society

The First Female President-Elect of the Republic of Korea

Park Geun-hyePark Geun-hye, the presidential candidate o the Saenuri Party, was elected in December 2012 aspresident o the Republic o Korea or the next fve years. She is the frst woman to be elected president

o the country at a high percentage o 51.6 percent. by Lee Jeong-eun

Park Geun-hye, the presidential candidateof the Saenuri Party, became the rstfemale president-elect of t he Republic of Korea

in the recent presidential election, which was

seen as a contest between a conservative and a

progressive. With the victory, the Saenuri Party

has consolidated its position and will remain

in power for some time. The latest presidential

election set some new records.

Park will not only be the countrys rst-ever

female president but is also from the family

of a former president. She is the daughter

of Park Chung-hee, who was in power from

1963 to 1979, and she is the rst president-

elect to win a majority of votes since the

re-introduction of direct presidential elections

in 1987.

Park garnered 15.75 million votes, or 51.6

percent of the total votes cast. Her major

opponent, Moon Jae-in of the Democratic

United Party (DUP), won 14.67 million votes,

or 48.0 percent of the total votes. Some 75.8

percent of the 4 0,507,842 eligible voters, or

30,722,712 Korean citizens, turned out for this

election. The margin of victory was only 1.08

million votes.

FIRST-EVER FEMALE PRESIDENT OF

KOREA

The media at home and abroad has noted the

fact that Korea will have a woman as president,

marking a watershed in the history of the

Republic of Korea. Le Monde, AFP, The New China

News Agency, and other major foreign media

outlets reported that Park clinched victory with

strong leadership in a male-dominated society.

Dubbed the Iron Lady, Thatcher

demonstrated more powerful leadership than

many male leaders and is fondly remembered

by many for having put an end to the so-called

British disease by reviving the economy,

especially through tight scal policies.

Thatcher reportedly called herself a politician

of convictions, and Park likewise says she

emphasizes keeping promises and principles.

In her autobiography, Park described t he

common traits of the two by saying that

the economic and diplomatic policies th at

Chancellor Merkel pursues are similar to hers

and that both are the leaders of conservative

parties. Merkel studied physics and Park

studied electronic engineering in college.

Park became a politician in 1998 when she ran

in a by-election in Dalseong County, Daegu. She

took the helm of t he Grand National Party (the

forerunner of the Saenuri Party) when the party

was in crisis just before the general election

slated for April 2004. In that election, she

prevented a political disaster for the party and

saw it win 121 seats in the National Assembly.

2

1 Park delivered an addressin which she said she wouldusher in an era o happinessor all Koreans.2 Some 75.8 percent oeligible voters voted. Votersare taking pictures in ront oa polling station.

Park Geun-hye, thepresidential candidate o theSaenuri Party, was electedas the frst emale president.

glObal kORea

glObal kORea

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individual partner countries needs. The t heme

of each KSP project is selected in accordance

with the partner countrys demands and

requests.

Second, the KSP focuses on policy. The

program helps partner countries accomplish

their development objectives by providing

specic and practical policy solutions so that

they can achieve sustainable economic growth.

Finally, the KSP is ai med at comprehensive

economic cooperation. To that end, joint

research and policy consulting are conducted

on the purposes of individual KSP projects.

The program also invites the policymakers and

experts of partner countries to Korea in order

to maximize learning eectiveness and thereby

forge solid, long-term cooperative relationships.

It is no wonder that the K SP program

encompasses a broad range of elds: economics,

science and technology, agriculture, education

and training, green growth and new and

renewable energy sources, and e-government.

PRACTICAL HELP

The rst partners of the KSP were Vietnam

and Uzbekistan, which joined the program

in 2004. Since then, the K SP has conducted

policy consulting and joint research on over

440 subjects in 109 projects with 39 countries:

12 in Asia, nine in Latin America, seven in the

Middle East, and one in Eastern Europe.

In many cases, KSP policy consulting has

been incorporated into partner countries

policies. In 2009, Korea and Vietnam signed

a memorandum of understanding to expand

bilateral cooperation, and the KSP provided

comprehensive consulting on t he entire

economy of Vietnam, based on which

Vietnam devised its 2011-2020 socioeconomic

development strategies. Kuwait reected

the KSPs policy consulting into its ve-year

development plan, and Kazakhstan did so

into its 2010-2014 industrial innovation and

development plan.

Cambodia and Mongolia both introduced

public-private partnership (PPP) programs after

receiving the KSPs consulting on how to att ract

private investment. The two countries are now

amending applicable laws concerning PPP.

The KSP also helped establish the Indonesia

Bond Pricing Agency (IBPA) in 2009. Cambodia

is seeking to found a trade promotion

organization in cooperation with the KSP, while

the Dominican Republic is planning to found

an export and investment center and an import/

export bank, also in cooperation with the KSP.

Partner countries have naturally acquired

Korean technology and knowhow through

the KSP, which benets Korea as the country

can have better name recognition in the

international community and Korean companies

can seize more opportunities to do business in

the partner countries. Ultimately, the KSP will

benet both Korea and partner countries alike.

Sustainable economic growth and inclusivedevelopment require sound policies andsystems, and knowledge about economic

development policies and systems should be

shared across the world for the prosperity of

all. One of t he ten major programs of Koreas

international outreach is the Knowledge

Sharing Program (KSP), a Korean-style ocial

development assista nce (ODA) model designed

to spread Koreas knowhow in economic

growth. The KSP is the brainchild of the

Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the Korea

Development Institute (KDI).

A countrys experience in and knowledge of

national growth is a priceless asset. Korea rose

rapidly out of crushing poverty to join the ranks

of advanced countries and is now widely ha iled

as one of the g reatest success stories of all time:

a one-time aid recipient that is now a donor

with a great deal to oer.

PARTNER-ORIENTED

The KSP is intended to provide comprehensive

Korean-style policy consulting that addresses

the specic needs and circumstances of partner

countries.

The program has three salient features.

First, it provides services designed to meet

Sharing Koreas Eperience in Economic Growth

The Knowledge Sharing ProgramThe Knowledge Sharing Program (KSP) shares Koreas experience and knowhow in economic growth withother countries, especially developing countries. Since 2004, the KSP has helped provide uniquely Korean

policy consulting to 39 countries. by Yang In-sil in cooperation with the Korea Development Institute

Industrial inspection inCambodia.

1 The fnal briefng in UArab Emirates.

2 The KSP project is sein accordance with the

partner countrys demaand requests.

1 2

SuMMiT DiPlOMacY

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Prime Minister Kleist visSouth Korea or ofcial on the economic coopeand development betwethe two nations.

President Lee and P residentZardari inspect the TraditionalHonor Guard at Cheong WaDae.

South Korean President Greets Leaders ofPakistan and GreenlandPresident Lee Myung-bak met President Asi Ali Zardari o Pakistan and Prime Minister Kuupik Kleist oGreenland in Cheong Wa Dae on their ofcial visits to Korea. by Chung Da-young

KOREA, PAKISTAN TO ExPAND

DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

Pakistans President Asif Ali Zardari visitedKorea from December 3 to 5 for talks withPresident Lee about bolstering economic and

other cooperation between the two countries.

President Zardari arrived on Monday for a

three-day ocial visit and met President Lee

on the second day to hold a summit to

discuss ways to expand substantial cooperation

mainly in the areas of trade, infrastructure,

and development aid. According to a statement

made by Cheong Wa Dae, the t wo leaders

agreed to cooperate to develop hydroelectric

power water resources, and rail infrastructure

in Pakistan.

During the talks, the Pakistani president

expressed his gratitude for Seouls ocial

development assistance to his country and

congratulated Lee on Seouls success in securing

a non-permanent seat on the UN Security

Council for the years 2013-14. Recognizing that

the two countries ties have deepened in various

sectors since the opening of their diplomatic

ties in 1983, the leaders praised two-way trade

volume reaching USD 1.56 billion last year.

They also recognized South Korean companies

increasing involvement in a variety of sectors

in Pakistan including construction, chemistry,

steel, and transport, Lees oce said.

Following their summit, Koreas Ministry

of Land, Transport and Maritime Aairs

and Pakistans railway ministry signed a

memorandum of understanding on bilateral

cooperation in the countr ys railway

development.

The two governments also signed an

agreement on Seouls assistance to spur

Pakistans social and economic development,

strengthening Koreas legal and institutional

grounds for more systemized support to the

country.

Separately, Bank of Korea Governor Kim

Choong-soo and his Pakistani counterpart

Yaseen Anwar signed a memorandum of

understanding to share Seouls banking

experience and technology with t he country.

Under the MOU, the two banks are to

strengthen their cooperation and expand

joint research regarding currency policy and

foreign currency reserves. The two will also

exchange sta to increase people-to-people

exchanges.

GREENLANDIC PREMIER RETURNS VISIT

Following the visit of President Zardari,Greenlandic Prime Minister KuupikVandersee Kleist arrived in Seoul on December

12 for a ve-day visit at the invitation of South

Koreas Foreign Mi nister Kim Sung-hwan.

President Lee visited Greenland on

September 9 and 10, laying t he groundwork for

cooperation in green growth and sustai nabledevelopment of the Arctic reg ion. Prime

Minister Kleists visit was arranged to seek

follow-up measures.

On the second day of his vi sit, Prime Minister

Kleist met the South Korean president at Cheong

Wa Dae for an ocial luncheon and discussed

matters to strengthen t he development of the

Arctic nations environmental policies as well

as the opening up of polar shipping routes.

The two leaders also agreed to conti nue eorts

for economic cooperation and development

between the two nations.

On the same day, Prime Minister Kleist

visited several private minerals companies in

Seoul including Hyundai Steel Company and

Korea Gas Corporation. He was accompanied

by ten-odd businesspeople from Greenland to

seek ways to explore mineral resources in the

Arctic region.

The Greenlandic leader also met Minister

Kim and discussed ways to deepen cooperative

ties between South Korea and Greenland

in various areas, including economy, trade,

sustainable development of the Arctic, climate

change, environment, and South Koreas bid to

join the Arctic Council.

Prime Minister Kleist expressed his

governments support for South Korea to

join the Arctic Council, a group of eight

countries with territory in the Arctic Circle.

As a temporary observer of the council, South

Korea is working to be elected as a permanent

observer of the Arctic Council.

now in korea

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three million Japanese, 600,000 Americans, and

roughly 1.5 million from Southeast Asia.

The appreciation of the Japanese yen,

the spread of Hallyu, and regional tourist

attractions such as the Boryeong Mud Festival

and the Andong Maskdance Festival increased

Japanese trac to Korea. The Chinese were

accorded a visa waiver to Jejudo, although

incentivized group tours, shopping tourism

packages, and overseas school trips were the

main factors in the increase in Chinese visitors

to Korea. According to the World Travel and

Tourism Council, Koreas tourism industry

expanded 13.2 percent in 2012, the fastest

growth of any G20 country.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

believes that the surge in visitors to Korea in

recent years is largely due to the success of the

G20 Summit and the Nuclear Security Summit

hosted in Seoul, Pyeongchangs winning the bid

to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, and the

rising tide of Hallyu, all of which have improved

worldwide awareness and perceptions of Korea.

Other important factors are the ministrys

cooperation with regional governments in

Hallyu and Shopping

Ten Million Visit Korea a YearThe number o annual visitors to Korea surpassed ten million or the frst time in 2012.

Why are they coming? Interest in Hallyu (Korean wave)? International events? Lets have acloser look at Korea as a tourist destination. by Yang In-sil in cooperation with the Visit Korea Committee

On the afternoon of November 22, 2012,

the arrival h

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KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.01]